FEATURES

Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres both scored twice as Arsenal crushed Tottenham 4-1 in the north London derby for the second time this season to restore their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners, who came into Sunday's game under huge pressure following their midweek capitulation at Wolves, made a mockery of those questioning their stomach for a title race as they ran riot at the home of their neighbours, who remain firmly in the relegation mire.

Barcelona returned to winning ways with a 3-0 victory over Levante on Sunday that moved them back to the summit of La Liga as they took advantage of Real Madrid's defeat to Osasuna 24 hours earlier. First-half goals from midfield duo Marc Bernal and Frenkie de Jong put the hosts in control before Fermin Lopez scored a stunner on a day when Joao Cancelo was the real star of the show.

Manchester United's bid to reach a fourth-straight Women's FA Cup final was ended on Sunday as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea after extra time in their fifth-round tie. Phallon Tullis-Joyce produced heroics in the Red Devils' goal but couldn't keep out strikes from Sam Kerr and Naomi Girma, while Simi Awujo's equaliser couldn't spark a come-from-behind win for Marc Skinner's side.

Naomi Girma picked a perfect time to score her first Chelsea goal on Sunday, with her finish in extra-time allowing the Blues to secure a dramatic 2-1 win over Manchester United and put themselves into the FA Cup quarter-finals. It looked like Sam Kerr's late second-half strike was going to be the difference for Sonia Bompastor's side in a tightly-contested clash, but Simi Awujo's quick-fire response prolonged the tie, paving the way for Girma to be the hero.

Alexis Mac Allister scored a 96th-minute winner as Liverpool beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground on Sunday. The Argentina international thought he had won the game with two minutes left, only for VAR to rule it out, but the midfielder would not be denied, as the Reds consigned Forest to a damaging defeat, doing so without the injured Florian Wirtz.

'Bottle jobs' is a slur that has often been thrown in Arsenal's direction in recent years, after Mikel Arteta's side finished second, second and second in each of the past three Premier League seasons. While they have grounds to argue against that being the case in those instances, even the most ardent Gunners fan would admit they had 'bottled it' if they fail to claim the title this time around.

Lionel Messi's Inter Miami came into the 2026 season with a ton of new shiny toys, but it was a familiar LAFC who dominated in their season opener - crushing the Herons in a 3-0 rout in front of an MLS-record opening day crowd of 75,673 at LA Memorial Coliseum. Denis Bouanga sparked an impressive performance for the Black and Gold, with an impressive goal and assist in the second half.

Lionel Messi was unable to make an impact and Inter Miami were poor defensively as they dropped the first game of the season to LAFC, 3-0. The Herons never really got into the game, and were undone by three clinical counterattacks by the home side - who showed that they just might be serious challengers for MLS Cup this year.

Nico O'Reilly continued his incredible season by powering Manchester City to a 2-1 win over Newcastle which cut the gap with Arsenal in the Premier League title race to just two points. O'Reilly scored a brilliant opener which was soon cancelled out by Lewis Hall. But City's homegrown midfielder restored his side's advantage with a well-taken header set up by a fine cross from Erling Haaland.

After a testing week, Vinicius Jr did what he does best as he scored to bring Real Madrid backing into it against a spirited Osasuna side. The Brazilian's work was undone by some shoddy defending, however, as two cheap goals saw Los Blancos fall to a 2-1 defeat. The side from Pamplona struck before the break and in the 92nd minute to inflict a loss on Alvaro Arbeloa's side that might be crucial in the scope of the title race. Barcelona, how play on Sunday, can now move top with a win.

Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw by relegation-battling Burnley on Saturday afternoon, with the 10-man Blues conceding an equaliser in the 93rd minute at Stamford Bridge. Liam Rosenior's men moved back into the Premier League's top four ahead of Manchester United on goal difference, though will feel they missed the chance to steal a march on their rivals for Champions League qualification.

USL Championship side Sacramento Republic have signed former Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City midfielder Memo Rodriguez, sources told GOAL. The Texan midfielder will pen a two year deal with the USL giants, who finished second in the Western Conference last season. It continues a busy winter for Sacramento, following the signing of Canada's Mark-Anthony Kaye earlier this week.

For most of their shared existence as rivals, Arsenal have had the upper hand over Tottenham. Be that from 1913 when Woolwich Arsenal moved into Spurs territory north of the River Thames, from 1919 when the Gunners beat Tottenham into being voted into the Football League or by winning the title twice at White Hart Lane, the red half of this conflict has so often been superior.

During the November international break, Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate admitted that all of the speculation surrounding his future at Anfield was bothering him. "Some of the things that I read, I’m like, 'Oh la la! That puts me in a tight spot with Liverpool fans. And they don’t even know all the ins and outs,'" the France international told TF1.

Christian Pulisic is hunting for fitness for Milan, and Folarin Balogun could deliver a big three points for his team if he continues his current form.

The MLS season will kick off Saturday, with Inter Miami clear favorites but plenty of other teams looking to make a splash.

GOAL surveyed players across MLS for the 2026 season on a number of topics, with some surprising responses